Ares Shrike 5.56

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The Shrike 5.56 is a machine gun upper conversion kit manufactured by Ares Defense Systems.

Overview

The Shrike 5.56 is not a complete weapon. It is an upper receiver that, when combined with a M16/M4 lower receiver, becomes a belt-fed or magazine-fed light machine gun similar to the FN M249. Like the M249, the Shrike 5.56 features a quick-change barrel designed to prevent overheating. It is therefore capable of the sustained rates of fire of existing LMGs, but is as light and compact as an assault rifle. Ares claims the Shrike is the lightest belt-fed machine gun in the world.

The kit requires no permanent modifications to the M16 receiver. The assembled weapon can take either M16 magazines through the receiver's magazine well, or linked ammunition through the top-mounted feed tray, but it cannot use both ammo sources at once.

The Shrike can be preordered through licensed dealers. However, while orders have been taken for a few years with down payments, only ten of the actual production models have been delivered. The Shrike remains an elusive firearm, and many who have reserved them in pre-production are now requesting refunds on their deposits. A vocal group of buyers is accusing Ares of selling vaporware.

Variants

The Shrike production model has recently emerged from development. There exist some notable differences between the current model and the older prototypes.

EXP-1 - the initial proof-of-concept prototype. It features a modified M249 handguard, a unique firing mechanism and a quick-detach barrel latch derived from the Stoner 63.

EXP-2 - this improved prototype featured a new Picatinny rail handguard, an improved firing mechanism using some M16 components, and a new barrel latch similar to that of the M60 machine gun.

03A - the production model. It has a compact side-mounted gas system different from the previous prototypes, and its firing mechanism is also significantly modified. It has a circular handguard. The barrel latch and some other components are similar to the EXP-1.

ARES-16SPW receiver - this receiver was designed by Ares specifically for the Shrike system. It is identical to the mil-spec M16 receiver, except its magazine well is cut away to save space. Shrikes mounted on this receiver can only use M249 box magazines with linked ammo, but they have a smaller vertical profile.

This production variant can be fitted with multiple Picatinny rails. These enable it to mount various commercial scopes, flashlights, lasers, and even secondary underbarrel weapons such as grenade launchers and shotguns.

See also

• List of modern weapons

AR-15-related firearm articles:

AR-10, AR-15 M16/A1/A2/A3/A4 M4/A1 Carbine Diemaco C7, C8 Colt Commando, XM177, CAR-15 M231 FPW SDM-R, SAM-R Mark 11 'SWS' Mark 12 'SPR' SEAL Recon Rifle Mark 18 'CQBR' Ares Shrike La France M16K KAC SR-25

External links

• [Ares product description]
• [High quality Shrike photos at SubGunVideos.com]
• [Nazarian`s Gun`s Recognition Guide (FILM) 200 Round Burst on Tripod (.MPEG)]

 

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